


Reality Check

by LuvBusters



Category: The Real Ghostbusters
Genre: F/M, Language, Pranks/Shenanigans, Public Display of Affection, Public Humiliation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-03
Updated: 2020-02-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:56:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22530586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuvBusters/pseuds/LuvBusters
Summary: A reality show producer wants a team to follow the Ghostbusters and record their activities to boost their ratings. But will they expose too much?
Relationships: Egon Spengler/Janine Melnitz
Comments: 18
Kudos: 12





	1. A New Opportunity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A reality show producer comes by Ghostbusters Central with a proposition.

Janine was sitting at her desk typing notes from the bust the guys had returned from an hour ago. She turned her head as she heard the door open. 

A woman who looked to be in her late thirties to early forties was approaching the desk. The woman was about five feet six inches tall. She had long, brown hair that flowed down her back, the waves styled professionally. She was wearing a black pencil skirt with a yellow blouse and black jacket. The blouse was cut low enough that Janine already knew would be the first thing Peter notices, after her stunning blue eyes. Black high heels topped off the ensemble.

Janine stopped her work and turned to address the woman. “Good morning, may I help you?”

“Yes! I’m Denise Morrill, executive producer of the “Life As We Know It” show!” She extended her hand to shake. 

Janine stood, smiling as she shook hands with the woman. “Ah yes! The reality show!” She didn’t try to hide the disdain dripping from her voice.

Ms. Morrill heard the tone, lightly smiling. “I take it you’re not a fan ….,” she glanced down at the name plate on the desk …, “Ms. Melnitz?”

Janine returned to her seat and smiled. “I’ve seen it a couple of times. Not exactly my style of entertainment. What brings you to Ghostbusters Central? Is your tv station haunted?”

“No. Actually, I was hoping your employers would be interested in allowing my team to follow them through their day for the latest episode!”

Janine’s mouth curled into what was almost a crooked grin as she stifled a laugh. “Let me get them down here to discuss it.” She picked up the phone and buzzed the lab. 

“Yes?” Egon answered.

“Egon, do you know where Dr. Venkman is? I have someone here who would like to talk to him.”

“He should be in the rec room. Would you like for me to get him?”

“Thanks, but that’s ok. I’ll buzz the kitchen.” Janine disconnected the call, then buzzed the kitchen phone. 

After a few seconds, the phone was answered. “Yo!” Someone said with a mouthful of food.

Janine frowned. “Peter? Or Ray?”

Another quick few seconds passed, Janine presuming the person was swallowing the food, before the voice came through clearly. “It’s Peter. What’s up?”

Janine smiled an almost evil grin. “Could you please come downstairs, Dr. Venkman? There’s someone here who would like to speak with you. Her name is Denise Morrill.” She knew Peter watched the show and would nearly break his neck to meet her. 

“HOLD ON! BE RIGHT THERE!” There was a loud click as the phone hung up. Faster than sliding down the fire pole, Peter arrived downstairs, sporting a big smile as he was putting his “Venkman charm” on. “Ms. Morrill! I’m Dr. Peter Venkman! It’s a pleasure to meet you!” He extended his hand. 

“Good morning, Dr. Venkman! So nice to meet you!” Ms. Morrill replied, returning a firm hand shake. 

Peter gestured towards his office area. “Why don’t we have a seat in my office and discuss whatever it is you need?”

She smiled and took a seat in front of his desk. 

Peter slid a pile of magazines and papers over to one side of his desk as he sat down. He intertwined his fingers together and leaned forward over his desk. “Now, what can we do for you?”

Denise smiled. “As I’m sure you know, I’m the executive producer of “Life As We Know It.”

“Yes! Love the show!” he replied enthusiastically. 

“We’re coming up on our third season, and the “powers that be” want something different for this season - something that will grab the attention of our current viewers as well as new ones.”

“Yeah, tough business I’m sure. People can only take so much of the celebrity hype, I suppose?”

“Exactly. I’m hoping that you and your associates will be agreeable to a team of my cameramen and the show’s host to follow your team around, both here and out in the field for a few days?”

Peter sat back in his chair. “Well, I will need to discuss this with my colleagues. There are several things to take into consideration, the most important one - the safety of everyone involved.”

“Of course!” Denise stood, holding out a business card. “Why don’t you talk it over, and give me a call? Here’s my direct line.” 

Peter stood, taking the card from her hand, purposely allowing his fingers to touch hers more than actually necessary. His smile was as big as ever. “Sure! Let me walk you to the door.”

He escorted the woman out, giving a wink to Janine as he passed her desk. She just smirked and rolled her eyes as she continued working. After Ms. Morrill left, Peter walked back towards Janine’s desk. He gave her his classic grin as he headed towards the stairs. 

Janine looked at Peter in surprise. “You’re NOT actually considering this, ARE YOU?!”

He stopped and looked at her. “Oh come on! Why not?!” Peter whined. “It’d be a GREAT opportunity for us to get some exposure to the public!”

Janine thought for a moment. “Hmm, fair point. See what the guys think!” She then turned back around and resumed her work.

Peter ran upstairs, screaming for the guys. They were in the rec room; Ray was watching tv, Winston was preparing a bowl of oatmeal, and Egon was reading the paper over his mug of coffee. 

“Guys! You are never gonna believe this! Denise Morrill wants to do a show on US!”

“Morrill? Doesn’t she produce that reality show?” Ray asked. 

“Yes! She’s the executive producer!” Peter replied. 

“Why is she interested in us?” Egon asked, putting his paper down.

“It’s their third season and the higher ups want something grittier for the show. She thinks following us around for a while will help!” Peter explained. 

Winston brought his bowl of oatmeal over to the table and sat down. “I don’t know, Pete. What about the possibility of the camera crew getting hurt? I mean, if they’re with us on calls, things could get hairy.”

“Yeah, maybe they could sign a waiver or something?” Ray suggested. 

Egon adjusted his glasses. “Would they be restricted to going with us on calls or would they be following us around here as well?”

“Both I think?” Peter said. “I told her I’d call her back after we’ve discussed it.”

They all exchanged uncertain glances. 

“It’s a great opportunity for us to get exposure to the public!” Peter said, hoping to sway their decisions.

“We could use some of that,” Winston agreed. 

“Yeah, things have been kinda slow lately. This could help?” Ray added.

“I suppose it’s ok?” Egon said hesitantly. “As long as that’s all the ‘exposure’ we get!”

“Whaddya mean?” Peter asked. 

“I happen to think that these types of television shows are designed only to embarrass the subjects. I believe their lines are scripted, including the fights. All in an effort to attract viewers, who obviously have nothing better to do with their time,” Egon explained. 

“It’ll be fine. I’ll call her!” Peter said happily, running back downstairs.


	2. Meeting the Team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The guys get the show’s team ready for following them on calls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve put two subtle clues in this chapter that hint of what’s to come later. 😉

Peter had called Denise back and arranged for the show’s team to start filming the next day. They arrived the next morning just a few minutes after Janine had unlocked the doors. Ms. Morrill was accompanied by six other people carrying all sorts of equipment.

“Good morning, Ms. Morrill!” Janine greeted the group. 

Peter and the others were on their way downstairs.

“Good morning Denise!” Peter said enthusiastically. 

“Good morning everyone! Let me introduce you to the crew who will be following you and your team for the next four days!” Denise said. She introduced the camera crew, the tech support and the site director Tim Edwards.

“Mr. Edwards is the guy who will be calling the shots of what to record and what not to record,” Denise said.

“Nice to meet everyone. You had mentioned waivers to protect your crew members while with us on busts?” Peter said. “Things can and will get pretty scary out there.”

“Of course!” Denise pulled out an envelope and the crew members signed each waiver. She also presented waivers for the Ghostbusters to sign giving the show rights to the material that would be recorded. 

“Now that everything is in order, I’ll leave my team in your capable hands,” Denise said to Peter, giving him a slightly seductive smile.

He returned his classic Venkman smile. Then he turned his attention to Mr. Edwards. “Alright! Where do we start?”

“We’ll begin by setting up here in the garage and use it as the opening of the show. You can take us on a tour of the facility and take it from there.” 

“Fair enough,” Peter agreed. 

It took just a few minutes for the crew to set up and were ready to go. Peter started the tour. “Welcome to Ghostbusters Central! We’re currently in our garage and office area. Here is our lovely secretary and office manager Janine Melnitz.” He walked slowly as he spoke, the crew in tow.

Janine smiled politely as the camera man pointed the camera at her. She then turned to her computer to get started with her work. 

Peter led them upstairs showing the crew Egon’s lab, the rec room and kitchen areas, and told them about the bunk room though they didn’t actually go up to it. He knew the room wasn’t in the best state to be recorded and was certain that the others wouldn’t want their pajamas and underwear shown on tv. 

Next Peter took them down to the basement to show them the containment unit. He didn’t spend a lot of time there before returning up to the main floor. 

“Ok, that’s great!” Tim said. “That’ll do until you get a call. That’s what we really want to get!”

“Sure! Make yourselves at home!” Peter said, walking over to his desk.

Tim made his way to Janine’s desk, standing in front of it. She looked up at him from her work. “May I help you, Mr. Edwards?”

The man smiled. “I was just wondering if the Ghostbusters had any calls already scheduled? And you can call me Tim.” He flashed a big smile at her. 

Janine smiled back but her eyes reflected a bit of disgust at the man’s arrogance. “Not until after lunch at 1:30. And you can call me Ms. Melnitz.” She then resumed her work.

Tim only smiled and walked over to Peter’s desk. He sat down in the chair in front of the desk. “So, you have a call scheduled for this afternoon?”

“Yeah, until then, we stay put unless a call comes in,” Peter replied.

Tim leaned forward to speak quietly to Peter, who had leaned forward across his desk as well.

“Ms. Melnitz is quite the firecracker?” Tim asked.

Peter grinned. “Yeah, but that’s exactly the kind of attitude that keeps things straight around here. Some people think they can waltz in here and bark orders at us. Janine handles it like a pro.”

Tim sat back, smiling. 

Just then, the phone rang. Peter straightened in his chair as Janine answered the phone. Tim motioned to his crew to start recording. Janine feverishly wrote down the information, asking the usual questions, then hung up while slamming the alarm. 

“It’s showtime!” Peter yelled, running to his locker. 

The others quickly appeared, Ray and Winston sliding down the pole while Egon was rushing down the stairs. The men slipped into their jumpsuits and stopped by Janine’s desk. 

“It sounds like a Class 2 by the caller’s description, but I think it’s maybe a Class 3 or 4 by what it’s doing,” Janine said as she handed the paper over to Peter. 

“What’s it doing?” Egon asked, arching an eyebrow in curiosity. 

Doing her best to ignore the camera pointed at her, Janine explained: “the caller said the ghost was causing items in her home to be thrown around.”

“That sounds like a Class 2 poltergeist,” Ray said. 

“Yeah, but it’s showing up in different places at the same time,” Janine added.

“Wow! Projecting various forms simultaneously!” Ray shouted, clearly excited. “Maybe I should take the video recorder, too?!”

“Calm yourself, Ray,” Peter said calmly. “Ok, thanks Janine. We’ll take extra precautions on this one. Let’s go!”

They grabbed their gear and jumped into Ecto-1. 

Janine gave Egon a warm smile, which he saw and returned. She then sat back in her chair as the camera crew jumped into their van outside the firehouse. 

“Hmmph! Dr. V never gives me a thank you much less a promise to be careful on other calls?” she thought to herself. “Just hamming it up for the tv crew, I guess.” She rolled her eyes, then resumed her work.


	3. The Bust and More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The tv crew follow the guys to record a bust. But, are they gonna record more than they need to?

The Ghostbusters arrived at the address Janine had given them. They geared up and got ready. The tv crew were hot on their heels, recording already. 

“Ok guys, hold back a bit. We don’t know exactly what we’re dealing with yet,” Peter advised Tim. 

The home had already been evacuated. The woman had told the guys the ghost or ghosts were in the kitchen and living room. As they cautiously made their way through the rooms, they each noticed the broken furniture items. 

Tim gestured for the cameraman to record while the Ghostbusters checked out the rooms. 

Suddenly, Peter yelled, “Heads up!” as a cast iron skillet flew towards them. 

The cameraman jumped back, barely missing the skillet as it zipped by his head. Sounds of the proton packs roaring to life grabbed Tim’s attention. “Come on!” They quickly headed to the kitchen. They recorded the guys fighting against the ghost. 

Just then, a glass plate came hurdling towards Winston. He dodged it while still firing his thrower, but he lost his footing on the wet floor. “Damnit!” he shouted as he landed awkwardly on his side.

Egon looked over to him. “Winston! Are you alright?!”

“I managed to keep the pack from hitting the floor, but I pulled something in my back!” he replied, grimacing from pain. “Where’d this water come from?!”

“Our friendly little poltergeist, here!” Ray replied. 

“This is ridiculous! Spengs, how many are there?” Peter shouted. 

Egon made a quick check of his PKE meter. “One for sure, but it’s projecting itself in different places. The actual ghost is through the kitchen and headed outside!”

“Does it weaken the more it projects itself?” Ray asked.

“Slightly, but not enough to give us the upper hand,” Egon replied. 

“Let’s get back to Ecto and radio Janine! Get her out here to help!” Peter suggested. 

“Sorry guys,” Winston apologized as Ray helped him up.

“Don’t worry about it, man,” Peter replied, giving his friend a pat on the shoulder. “If you pulled a muscle, we’re gonna need Janine out here.”

Tim stepped forward. “Your Secretary is gonna gear up?!”

“Sometimes Janine helps us in the field,” Egon replied. 

“Yeah! When we’re short handed due to injuries or sometimes we just need an extra set of hands,” Ray added. 

Tim smiled. “That’ll make this footage very interesting,” he muttered.

Egon was watching his PKE meter. “The ghost is headed out the back door. I suggest we get Winston to the vehicle and have Janine meet us at the next location. The ghost is headed north.”

Winston got as comfortable as he could in the backseat while Ray got behind the wheel; Peter sat in the back while Egon sat up front. 

Janine was busy typing notes from a previous bust when she heard Egon’s voice on the CB radio. “Egon! What’s going on?”

“Winston pulled a muscle in his back; we need you to suit up and meet us,” Egon replied. “We’re in transit to the next location; the ghost evaded us.”

“Sure! Where?”

“I will radio you back once we know where it’s going,” Egon said.

“Got it. I’ll suit up and be waiting.” 

It was roughly fifteen minutes later when Egon radioed back with the exact location of where to meet them. Janine grabbed her pack and a few extra traps and drove off in her VW Beetle. 

Janine arrived at the destination ten minutes after the Ghostbusters. The camera crew were ready and began recording as soon as she drove up. She forced her focus on the guys. 

“Sorry, I got here as fast as I could,” she told Peter.

“No sweat, Red,” Peter reassured her. 

“We’ve got it tracked down to this warehouse,” Ray explained. 

“Hopefully, there’s nothing inside that it can use as projectiles against us,” Egon said.

Janine geared up and joined the guys as they cautiously went inside the building. Tim led his crew in right behind them. Winston was following Peter closely with the ghost trap. His strained back couldn’t support the weight of the pack so he was in charge of trapping. 

Peter, Winston and Egon split into one group while Ray and Janine broke off. 

“It’s just ahead directly in front of us,” Egon said quietly as he watched his PKE meter closely. 

“Probably behind those boxes,” Peter replied. 

Suddenly, the ghost lunged towards them from behind the boxes. Peter gave the word and they fired. However, the ghost was too fast and was able to dodge them. But, Ray and Janine were able to take it by surprise; they held it in their streams as Winston threw out the trap. 

Peter and Egon fired and helped them lower the ghost into the trap. As they joyfully exited the building, Tim and his crew were still recording. 

“Wow! That’s some good teamwork!” Tim shouted excitedly. 

“Yeah, that’s why we work so well together!” Peter quipped. 

As Janine made her way to her car, Tim and a cameraman followed her. She turned, shocked to see Tim standing right there; she noticed the camera was recording. 

“Ms. Melnitz, I’m surprised to see that you assist in the field?” 

“Well, Mr. Edwards, sometimes my help is needed. As you can see, Winston’s back problem made my assistance necessary.”

“So, your job description is quite lengthy,” Tim said.

“An office manager’s job is never done.” Janine then got in her car and cranked up. She was uncomfortable talking so much on camera. 

“Hey Janine, we’ll be right behind ya!” Ray shouted as he helped Winston get into Ecto-1. 

“Get an ice pack on this back,” Winston moaned. 

Back at the firehouse, Egon helped Winston upstairs while Ray and Peter took care of the trap and packs. Janine had already gone ahead to get an ice pack ready. 

Winston laid down on his bed in the bunk room; Janine came in soon after with the ice pack. She helped Winston get situated and gave him some ibuprofen for the pain. 

“I’ll check back in on you in a bit; just rest,” Janine said gently.

“Thanks Janine, Egon,” he said.

Egon and Janine walked down to the lab. “We appreciate your assistance, Janine.” He placed his hands on her waist. 

She smiled and wrapped her arms loosely around his waist. “Anytime, Doctor.” She tiptoed and kissed him on the lips.

As she turned to leave, Egon cleared his throat.

“Ahem….Janine? Actually, umm, I would like to ask you something?” Egon said, slightly blushing. 

She returned to the work table where Egon was standing, a huge smile on her face. “Yes, Egon?”

“Are you busy? Tonight?” He fingered his collar. 

Janine lightly touched his arm. “What’s wrong, honey? We’ve been dating for a few weeks. You’re still nervous?” She smiled warmly, helping him relax.

“Well, I’m nervous because, well, I was wondering….I was hoping, maybe, we could….ahem….,” his blush intensified. 

Janine’s smile became bigger. “Are you asking if we can make love?” Her grip on his arm got a little tighter. 

“Yes, I am.” 

Janine walked up to Egon, grabbed his tie and gently pulled him down to her, kissing him deeply on the lips. He returned the kiss, his arms wrapping around her. 

They were too preoccupied to notice the cameraman outside the lab.


	4. The First Episode

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The tv crew airs their first episode. Not everyone agrees that it’s a success.

The cameraman quietly returned to the garage area, giving Tim a wide grin and a thumbs up signal. Tim just grinned. “Ok, that’s enough until their afternoon gig.”

Janine came back to her desk a few minutes later. She glanced over at the tv crew as they were hovering over their equipment in the corner of the room. Tim was looking over some paperwork while the others were checking the cameras. 

As she resumed her work, Tim casually walked over. 

“Ms. Melnitz, don’t you ever take a lunch break?” He asked light-heartedly.

“Yeah, I’m going in about thirty more minutes. Why? You guys want delivery or something?” Janine replied.

“No, you’ve just been working ever since we’ve been here. You seem very dedicated.”

Janine looked at him directly. “Yes, I am very dedicated to my job.”

“Would you say you go above and beyond? I mean, you did go out in the field earlier.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I do if my employers need me to.”

“That’s cool! Hope you get compensated for it?”

“Well enough. If you don’t mind, I’d like to finish these invoices before lunch.”

“Sure, no problem.” Tim walked back over to his crew. He gave his cameraman a questioning look. “Get that?”

The man smiled. “Every word.”

*************************  
The tv crew went out with the Ghostbusters on their scheduled afternoon bust. It wasn’t very difficult. Tim was able to get some good footage of the guys in action. 

As the guys were putting the proton packs and traps in the back of Ecto, Tim approached Egon. “That was some pretty awesome footage we got there!” 

Egon smiled. “I hope it was good enough for your show?”

“Well, a little more action would be best, but I know you guys have no clue when that’ll happen?”

“We can tell what to generally expect based on the descriptions the callers give Janine. But we never know exactly what we’re up against until we get there.”

“She’s good at her job, isn’t she? I mean, to give you guys the proper info you need, she has to ask questions?”

“Yes, she is a wonderful asset to us.”

“Does she ever go above and beyond the call of duty for any of you guys?”

“Yes, quite frequently. She goes outside of her job description for all of us when necessary.”

Tim just smiled, then walked over to his crew. His cameraman was grinning from ear to ear. “I got that man - all of it.”

************************  
Tim and his crew stayed another two days shadowing the guys’ calls. Once they had enough footage, Tim and his crew used the next few days to go through everything they had recorded, edit it and prepare it for the first episode the following Tuesday night. 

Janine had stayed late so she could watch along with the guys. Peter ordered pizzas and Winston brought in some beers and sodas. They sat around the tv in the rec room ready to watch the show. 

The show’s host, Angela Rotworth, began the show. “Welcome back to our third season! We’re starting things off with a blast! Our crew has been following the Ghostbusters this past week and I’ve been told the footage is very hot! So, let’s get started!”

The footage began with the introduction that Peter had given with the tour of the firehouse. Then it moved on to the call that came in that morning. 

Then, Tim came on. “I’d like to point out that the Ghostbusters’ office manager, Janine Melnitz really steps up. I don’t know that the public is aware of everything she does, so I’d like to shed some light on it.”

The next bit of footage showed Janine coming in to help the guys with that pesky ghost. 

“Looking good, Red!” Peter shouted, winking playfully at her.

She just smiled and blushed prettily. 

Then, the next bit of footage caused all the jaws in the room to drop. The guys gasped as they saw Egon and Janine kissing in the lab. 

Egon choked slightly on his pizza while Janine spit out her soda. 

Tim’s voice could be heard narrating the scene: “Ms. Melnitz admitted that she goes above and beyond the call of duty for her employers. Dr. Spengler even admitted that she frequently goes outside her job description for all of them! And she’s compensated for it!” Then they heard the recordings of Egon and Janine’s statements they had made. 

Janine jumped out of her seat. “WHAT THE HELL?!”

Winston, Ray and Peter all looked at Egon, then Janine. 

Egon simply stared at the floor, holding his hand against his forehead as if trying to stem off a headache. 

“They’re making me sound like a SLUT!”

“When did THAT happen?!” Ray asked with a smile. 

“And how long has it been going on?!” Winston asked, who also seemed amused. 

“What I wanna know is how many times in the lab?!” Peter asked, grinning from ear to ear.

“I’m calling that guy and giving him a piece of my mind!” Janine screamed.

Peter stepped in Janine’s path, blocking her exit. “Hey, I don’t want you starting anything!”

“Oh, I’m not gonna START ANYTHING! But I’m gonna damn well FINISH IT!” She yelled, trying to move around him. 

Egon stood facing everyone. “I’m sorry that we have kept this a secret; we were going to let you all know once we felt comfortable with how you would react.”

“Egon! C’mon man! You know us! We don’t care! Personally, I think it’s about damn time!” Winston reassured him. 

“Yeah! I’m happy for you two!” Ray added. 

Peter was holding Janine by her shoulders to keep her from storming out. “Yeah, no problem! I’ve been trying to get you two together for a while. Guess I just needed to let nature take its course?” He released Janine who had calmed down. He walked over to Egon and gave him a light punch on the arm. “By the way Spengs, that was some nice ass grabbing in that shot!” 

Peter quickly ran and hid behind Egon as he heard Janine’s heels quickly running towards him. “Don’t hurt me, don’t hurt me!”

Janine stopped just short of knocking Egon down. “We didn’t know they were recording us!”

“Wonder what ELSE they saw?!” Peter said, then howling with laughter as he took off running for the bunk room with Janine hard on his heels. 

The others just laughed as they could hear Peter slamming the bunk room door shut with Janine pounding and kicking at it. She was screaming at the top of her lungs: “DON’T BE AN ASSHOLE! COME OUT HERE AND FACE ME LIKE A MAN!”

“Think we should rescue the poor thing?” Winston asked.

“I don’t think Janine needs any help?” Ray replied.

“I meant Peter!”

“No, let Peter suffer,” Egon said calmly, with a mischievous grin.


	5. Happy Endings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Egon and Janine are publicly embarrassed on television. But revenge is sweet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this last chapter is so long. But I wanted to include more stuff. And Egon and Janine’s middle names come from works I’ve read by other authors and loved it. Enjoy!

Peter had finally given in and came out of the bunk room to face Janine. She only gave him a light smack on the arm and both returned to the rec room area. The others were surprised she didn’t inflict severe damage to the psychologist. 

Janine just shrugged. “I figured I’d let it slide,” she grinned. “But we do need to sue those bastards!”

“We can’t! We signed waivers!” Ray explained.

“YOU guys did; I didn’t sign ANYTHING!” Janine pointed out. 

“Let me give Denise a call, see how we can turn this around,” Peter offered. 

Janine rolled her eyes. “You just wanna get a date out of this!”

“Hey, whatever works!” Peter casually replied. He went downstairs to his desk and made the call. 

Everyone else remained in the rec room while this conversation took place. After twenty minutes, Peter returned upstairs, a smug smile on his face.

“Well?!” Janine impatiently demanded.

“She apologized and said she wasn’t able to view the footage before it was aired.”

“BULLSHIT!” Janine screamed.

“No, she sincerely apologized. Tim and his crew are gonna come back out to record footage for one more episode.”

“THE HELL HE IS!”

“Janine, calm down,” Peter said gently. “Denise assured me that a disclaimer is going to be added to the next episode stating that the footage shown was unedited and taken out of context.”

“And that’s supposed to make everyone forget seeing me and Egon making out in the lab?” Janine said defensively. 

“Janine, I’m not sure ANYTHING can help us forget seeing THAT!” Winston chuckled.

Janine blushed while Egon just smiled. 

“What I suggest is the two of you behave yourselves while the crew is here,” Peter said. “And I’ll see to it that Tim and his crew gets footage of a ghost.” The grin on his face was one of revenge. 

“Peter, are you implying what I think you are?” Egon asked.

“Hey, I can’t help it if Slimer gets excited around people,” he replied.

Everyone smiled. 

Just then, the phone rang. Janine ran and picked up the kitchen phone. Before she could even answer, the caller screamed at her. 

“JANINE RENEE MELNITZ! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR FREAKIN’ MIND?! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?! MAKING OUT WITH YOUR BOSS ON TELEVISION!”

Janine rolled her eyes and sighed. “Hi Ma, I’m fine, how are you?”

“Don’t you take that tone with me, young lady! You explain yourself RIGHT NOW!”

Janine started but was interrupted by her mother. “NEVER MIND! YOU PUT THAT YOUNG MAN ON THE PHONE!” 

“I will not subject him to your interrogation! I was the one who started it! If you’re gonna be mad at somebody, be mad at me!”

While this was going on, the back line started ringing.

“Twenty bucks that’s Spengs’ mom!” Peter whispered to Ray and Winston, who just grinned from ear to ear.

Egon hurried to the lab and answered the back line. 

“Egon Huxley Spengler! I am utterly appalled!” 

“Hello mother.”

“Do you care to tell me why I just saw you kissing and fondling that poor girl on national television?!” Mrs. Katherine Spengler was irate with her only son, but she was keeping her voice as level as possible.

Egon blushed furiously. “First of all, Janine and I have been dating for three weeks. And we were kissing. We were unaware that we were being recorded.”

“Wait! You and Janine are DATING?!” 

Egon smiled at the glee in her voice. “Yes ma’am.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful, Spookums! I hope her mother doesn’t get upset?”

“Actually, She’s on the other line as we speak. It didn’t sound good.”

“Oh, well, I can vouch that you’re a gentleman.”

“Thank you; I’ll remember that if Janine needs you to say so.”

While Egon was finishing up his call, Peter, Ray and Winston were doing their best to keep their laughter to a minimum. Janine’s mother could be heard across the rec room as she continued ranting about her daughter’s lewd conduct.

“I did not raise you to be a SLUT!”

“I am NOT A SLUT! And for the last time, we did NOT know we were being recorded!”

“So, you act like this all the time at work?!”

“NO!”

“Denise! Leave the poor child alone!” 

“THANK YOU DADDY!” Janine heard her dad’s comment in the background.

“Oh Fritz, stay outta this! I’m fighting for our daughter’s DIGNITY!”

“I think she’s able to fight for herself!”

“Egon is actually very sweet to me, momma! We’ve been dating for three weeks! He’s a gentleman!”

“HE DIDN’T LOOK LIKE A GENTLEMAN GRABBING YOUR ASS LIKE THAT!”

“MA!”

Peter accidentally slipped out a howl of laughter. 

“BITE ME VENKMAN!”

“JANINE! YOU STOP THAT TALK RIGHT NOW! A LADY DOES NOT TALK LIKE THAT!”

“I NEVER SAID I WAS A LADY!”

She heard some scuffling on the other end. “Ma! What’s going on?”

“I took the phone, Jay,” her dad said. “Your mother needs to calm down a bit.”

“Good!”

“Now listen, Jay. You make sure you behave yourself appropriately at work from now on.”

“Yes sir.”

“And you make damn sure of one other thing.”

Janine quieted down quickly. “Ok?”

“You bring that young man by the house for dinner one weekend.”

“Yes Daddy!”

She ended her call. Egon returned to the rec room just in time to see Janine hurl an empty milk carton at Peter. 

“OW!”

“Serves ya right!”

Winston had regained most of his composure and looked at Egon. “Who was on the back line?”

“MY mother,” Egon replied.

Peter grinned at Winston and Ray. “Twenty bucks from each of you!”

“Hope your mom was nicer than mine?” Janine pouted.

“She was upset at first, but she calmed down as soon as I told her we are dating.”

“Really?!” Janine blushed. 

“Yes.”

“Well, you’re expected at dinner soon with me and my parents,” Janine replied. “Ma needs to make sure you’re treating me right.”

“I’ll give her my mother’s number.”

*****************************  
Another two days passed before Tim and his tv crew returned to the firehouse. Peter was waiting downstairs; he was hoping he could diffuse any potential issues with Janine. The feisty redhead had made it clear that morning that she would not be forgiving.

“Good morning Dr. Venkman!” Tim said with a sheepish grin.

Peter kept a friendly yet cool expression. “Good morning Mr. Edwards. We have a bust scheduled for this morning at 9:00. It sounds like something you’ll definitely want to catch on film!”

“Sounds great! What is it?”

“A Class 5 entity down by the harbor. The caller said it was roughly six feet tall and looks like something out of a Stephen King novel. Huge fangs, long claws, spiked tail.”

“Awesome!”

The men heard high heels coming down the stairs. They looked up to see Janine coming down with a mug of coffee. She glared at Tim as she took her seat behind her desk. 

“Good morning Ms. Melnitz!” Tim greeted her. 

She just gave him a faint smile, her eyes telling a different story. 

Eager to reduce the tension, Tim continued. “Are you gonna be assisting the Ghostbusters on their call this morning? Dr. Venkman said it sounds pretty intense!”

“No, I’ll be staying here at my desk,” Janine replied coldly. “I’ll be here, WORKING!”

Peter shot her a warning glare, but she was completely unphased by it. She just continued staring down Tim, who was becoming increasingly nervous. 

Tim stepped over to where his crew was preparing the equipment to be ready to record. 

Peter quietly walked over to Janine’s desk, his back to Tim. “I’m serious, Janine. Keep your mouth shut!” He warned her through clenched teeth. “I’ve got revenge ready to go after we get back from this call.”

“That’s YOUR revenge, not MINE!” She answered, her voice laced with anger.

Peter relaxed a bit. “Just leave it to me; they’ll be sorry they screwed with ALL of us!”

Janine just shrugged her shoulders, popped in a piece of bubblegum and began her work. 

Soon, Ecto-1 was on its way to the harbor with the tv crew close behind in their van. Once they arrived, the guys quickly geared up. 

“This entity is a very strong Class 5; let's keep our minds focused on that,” Egon warned. 

“Important safety tip; thanks Big Guy!” Peter said. He motioned for Tim and his crew to follow. 

They searched for the entity, Egon leading the way with his PKE meter. “It’s just ahead; get ready!” 

They were already powered up; the guys gripped their throwers and headed towards the entity. They were just about to enter the warehouse when the creature lunged at them from around the corner of the building! 

Streams fired at the creature as it howled and thrashed it’s tail. They had managed to catch it in the streams but it was difficult to hold. 

Tim’s crew was in awe as they recorded the action. Tim himself was speechless, his heart pounding with both adrenaline and fear. 

“Ray, shorten your stream!” Peter yelled over the ghost’s screams. 

“Sorry, got it!” Ray replied.

“Spengs, try to get the trap out!” Peter yelled.

Egon reached around and threw the trap out while trying to keep his other hand steady on the thrower. 

Winston increased the power on his thrower to help hold it so Egon could handle the trap. “I’ve got it, Egon! Get the trap!”

“Thanks!” Egon yelled as he successfully threw out the trap and opened it. He then resumed using his thrower, increasing the power as well.

Peter and Ray followed suit, increasing the power. 

“Alright! Lower it down!” Peter shouted. 

As the creature was being pulled down into the trap, it’s long spiked tail swooped out, striking Ray’s forearm and cutting it. 

“I’m ok! Don’t let it go!” Ray shouted as he ignored the wound and continued with capturing the ghost.

Finally, the creature was pulled all the way in and the trap closed, signaling that it had successfully trapped the creature. 

Winston quickly examined Ray’s arm. “Doesn’t seem to need stitches, just a good disinfecting and bandage. I’ll grab the first aid kit!” He got to work in dressing the wound before heading back to the firehouse.

Tim slapped Peter on the back. “That was awesome, man! Crazy but awesome!”

Peter gave him a quick grin. “It’s what we do!”

Back at the firehouse, Janine rushed over to Ray once she saw the bandage on his arm. “Oh my gosh! Ray, are you alright?!”

“Yeah, it’s fine. Just a little scratch,” Ray said with a smile. 

Tim’s cameraman recorded the moment. No one in the tv crew noticed a green blob hovering slightly out of sight. But Peter and the gang did …… and said nothing. They continued to unload their gear as usual. 

“As you can see, it seems that ALL the Ghostbusters get special treatment around here from Ms. Melnitz!” Tim was saying in front of the camera. 

Suddenly, Slimer came barreling down, diving straight for Tim. A loud splat was heard as the spud made contact with the man, then quickly retreated back up through the ceiling. Tim stood there with his arms hanging out by his sides, a look of complete disgust on his face. The camera was still recording. 

“WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!” Tim shouted as he tried to find a clean spot on his shirt to wipe his face with.

“Oh, that’s just Slimer - our company mascot,” Peter replied casually. “He tends to get a bit excited when we come back from busts.”

Then, Peter along with the other guys and Janine started laughing heartily. 

“Ok, I get it! I’ll cut that last bit out!” Tim yelled. 

“And make sure that other episode gets edited and the disclaimer added like Denise said!” Peter ordered. 

“No problem!” Tim said.

“Good. You’ve got your footage; now get the hell outta here!” Janine said angrily as she handed Tim a paper towel. 

Without a word, Tim gestured for his crew to wrap up and leave. 

********************  
The following week, the second episode aired. As promised, Tim did indeed cut out the part he had recorded about Janine. He even added a statement proving that Janine genuinely cares about the safety of all the guys. A disclaimer was also added stating that some parts from the previous show were not edited properly and apologized for any embarrassment it may have caused.

After the show ended, Peter turned his attention to Egon and Janine. “Now, you two have been dating, huh?” He gave them his classic grin.

Janine just blushed. 

Egon smiled confidently and replied, “yes, we are. We didn’t say anything because we wanted to make sure everyone was ok with it. Obviously, you are.”

“I’ll say we are!” Ray beamed. 

“Yeah, it’s about time!” Winston said with a smile. 

“Good. We’ll keep it professional around here, don’t worry,” Janine said. 

“Good. I don’t want your mom coming up here and kicking my ass!” Peter teased. 

“You know she could!” Janine shot back.

They all laughed while Ray started channel surfing for something else.


End file.
